Page 160 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

158  FR ANCE AND THE L OW C OUNTRIES

q Musée du Louvre

The Musée du Louvre, containing one of the world’s most
important art collections, has a history dating back to
medieval times. First built as a fortress in 1190 by King
Philippe-Auguste, it lost its dungeon and keep in the reign
of François I, who commissioned a Renaissance-style building. The Louvre’s east facade, added
Thereafter, four centuries of kings and emperors improved in the 17th century
and enlarged the palace. It was first opened as a museum
in 1793 under the First Republic.

Building the Louvre
Over many centuries, the Louvre
was enlarged by a succession of
French rulers and, latterly, by the
state, shown below with their dates.

Major Alterations
Reign of François I (1515–47)
Catherine de’ Médici (about 1560)
Reign of Henri IV (1589–1610)
Reign of Louis XIII (1610–43)
Reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715)
Reign of Napoleon I (1804–15)
Reign of Napoleon III (1852–70)
François Mitterrand (1981–95)

KEY
1 The Jardin du Carrousel was 6 The Hall Napoléon, where
once the grand approach to the temporary exhibitions are held,
Tuileries Palace, which was set is situated under the pyramid.
ablaze in 1871 by insurgents of 7 The Cour Napoléon dates
the Paris Commune. mostly from the 19th century.
2 The Carrousel du Louvre 8 Sully Wing
underground visitors’ complex
(1993), with galleries, shops, 9 Cour Carrée
restrooms, parking, and an 0 Philippe-Auguste’s old
information desk, lies beneath the fortress, with its distinctive tower
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. and keep, was transformed into a
3 The inverted glass pyramid royal residence by Charles V in
brings light to the subterranean about 1365.
complex, echoing the new main q The Salle des Caryatides
entrance to the museum in the is named after the four
Cour Napoléon. monumental statues created by
4 Cour Marly is a glass-roofed Jean Goujon in 1550 to support
courtyard that houses the famous the upper gallery. Built for Henri II,
Marly Horses, sculpted by Antoine it is the oldest room in the palace.
Coysevox (1706) and Guillaume w Cour Visconti–Islamic Art . Arc de Triomphe
Coustou (1745) for the royal e Denon Wing du Carrousel
château at Marly. This triumphal arch was built
r Mona Lisa
5 Richelieu Wing to celebrate Napoleon’s
military victories in 1806.
For hotels and restaurants see pp206–8 and pp209–11

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